Sarawat's Story

Part XVII: Sarawat the Lamb and Sarawat the Lion

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A little after two o'clock Wednesday morning, I was startled awake by a loud boom in my apartment. Nervously, I turned on the lamp next to my bed. The air conditioning unit was smoking and sputtering, and a discomforting hiss from within its metal box scared me. I bolted out of bed and unplugged it, then spent forty-five minutes fanning the smoke from my apartment. I called the building manager until I had filled his voicemail with furious messages. When I realized I was probably not going to reach him until morning, I bitterly gave up. I opened all the windows in my apartment, hoping there would be a nighttime breeze to keep me from overheating. But without air conditioning, my apartment quickly turned into a furnace. I fidgeted in bed, feeling sweaty and gross. I kicked off the covers and slipped out of my boxers, but my body stayed too warm, and my mind stayed too alert to sleep.

At six o'clock, when the sun began to rise, I crawled out of bed. I had slept less than three hours that night and had spent the last four hours in misery. I wanted to skip class, but I had promised Tine that I wouldn't miss any classes unless I were physically ill or the professor had canceled the lecture. Reluctantly, I gathered the small amount of strength I still had from my restless night and began the long day ahead of me, albeit in a funky mood.

I texted Green as I walked to campus. Meet me in the Poly Sci lobby before class. I hadn't been able to reach Green after the meeting in the auditorium with the soccer players and cheerleaders, and I was worried about him. Seeing Green cry on Sunday had been eye-opening, and he appeared mentally drained by Tuesday. In truth, I was beginning to miss the cheerful, energetic Green.

When I got to campus, I bought a soda at the vending machine, then sat on one of the couches in the lobby to wait for Green. A few minutes after I'd arrived, he messaged me. I'm in room 216. Can you come up?

I walked quickly to room 216 on the second floor. It was an empty classroom, except for a few desks and chairs in the center of the room. The Poly Sci students used it for meetings. Green was sitting in one of the desks, digging in his backpack. When he glanced up at me, I almost gasped at his appearance. I had never seen him looking so weary. His eyes were puffy and red, and his skin looked pasty. His hair was ruffled under a baseball cap, an article of clothing I never thought Green would ever wear. When he acknowledged me, it was only with a subtle uptick of the corners of his lips.

I sat next to Green. "Are you okay?" I asked.

Green frowned. "I'm okay," he replied, "but I didn't sleep well last night."

"Me either," I complained. "My AC broke in the middle of the night, and my place was hot as hell."

Chuckling, Green said, "You should have called me. You could have slept at my place. I could have used the company. I was up all night." He reached into his bag and pulled out a small container filled with orange slices. He offered me a piece, and I declined. He shrugged, then began munching on the slice. "More for me," he casually joked.

I inquired again, "Are you okay? I mean, really okay?"

"Do I look that bad?" Green pouted comically. He dug in his bag and pulled out a compact mirror. After scanning his face, he mumbled, "Damn, I do look a mess, huh?" The hint of self-deprecation in his voice lightened the mood slightly. I couldn't help but crack a smile.

"You just look exhausted," I explained. "And after yesterday-" I paused and looked at Green. "Actually, after Sunday, I've been worried about you. And yesterday at the auditorium, you looked even more disturbed." I leaned back in my chair. "So, what happened?"